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Wisconsin planting progress slow, but some crops emerging

An agronomist says a few farmers that were able to plant during the unusually warm weather three weeks ago are seeing some emerging plants.

Aricka Wech with Pioneer works with farmers in southwestern Wisconsin.  She tells Brownfield she has been in fields from the Illinois state line north to the Viroqua area, and what has emerged is looking good. “We see some healthy, white tissue. That seed is still firm. Soybeans have all the way from a half-inch radicle to three inches as you head farther south. Corn on the other hand has been a little bit slower. It still looks healthy but at the most, only have about a half-inch radicle and just the beginnings of that coleoptile, so they’re going to need some heat.”

Most farmers have been waiting for the cool and wet weather to go away, and Wech says more planters should be rolling soon. “It looks like we’re going to have, you know, a little more planting progress this week Wednesday through Friday so we’ll hopefully get another run once temperatures warm up, but it looks like once we get into that second full week of May here, were’ really going to start making some headway.”

Wech says the weather and the timing might force farmers to consider different weed control options, and maybe even making three passes with herbicides.